


On this night of a thousand stars

by ships_and_yarns



Series: The hallboy and his footman [2]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-26 08:03:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2644319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ships_and_yarns/pseuds/ships_and_yarns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This installment on the series will deal with Andy saying goodbye to his former employers and the people who matter to him in that house. There will be mentions of Thomas and their interactions, but he would not appear on the fic until the last two chapters of it. </p>
<p>Infinite thanks to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/bedwyrssong">bedwyrssong</a> for his amazing beta skills. He made it better, again <3</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This installment on the series will deal with Andy saying goodbye to his former employers and the people who matter to him in that house. There will be mentions of Thomas and their interactions, but he would not appear on the fic until the last two chapters of it. 
> 
> Infinite thanks to [bedwyrssong](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bedwyrssong) for his amazing beta skills. He made it better, again <3

Most of the staff is already asleep by the time he gets back to the Hilshires’ house; it seems strange to be back after his absence, which felt longer than it was. His week with the Crawleys was very tiring, but Andy can’t complain. The job might have been more demanding – especially regarding his looks; damn those bowties- but he’s having trouble picturing himself going back to being just a hallboy.

He’s been waiting long enough, too. He’s older than all of the other hallboys in the house, and even the second footman is younger than him. The Hilshires are good employers, and he’s very grateful, but Andy wants more, he always has, and he knows well enough that they can’t give it to him.

And he got along with most members of the Downton staff. Not Mr. Carson, but maybe if Andy got a permanent position he could warm up to him eventually. He knows he’d make a good footman; even Mr. Barrow said so.

Mr. Barrow. Andy can’t help but smile when he thinks of him. He was always so kind, standing up to Denker and giving him advice on his footman duties. It’s going to be nice, having an ally, if he is able to go work for the Crawleys.

He would have said yes in a second, if they had asked him to stay. Mr. Molesley, the first footman, said something about how nice it was to finally have some extra help, and even Mr. Carson had agreed with him. Most families were reducing their staff, but it seemed as if they were used to having a second footman to handle minor tasks. He had asked Mr. Barrow about it, later that night, but for the first time he hadn’t been very helpful.

“We used to have another footman working at the house, but he left a while ago.”

His tone was uninviting, and Andy didn’t press the matter further. When they talked Mr. Barrow was usually smiling, and he would have hated to lose that just for the sake of his curiosity. But he tried to make an effort just in case they were considering him to fill the footman position.

“Andrew,” Mr. Carson had called out, the morning of his last day.

“It’s Andy, Mr. Carson,” he replied automatically.

Mr. Barrow chuckled behind his newspaper and the cook, Mrs. Patmore, had made a comment to Daisy that he didn’t quite manage to hear but had something to do with Mr. Carson’s recent choices of footmen and the shaking of the ground.

“I just wanted to mention that you did a very good job this week, and that I would have no problem writing a recommendation for you to take back to your current employers, in case they are considering a promotion.”

He had smiled then and expressed his gratitude, but the words had felt bitter leaving his lips. Thankfully no one had noticed –except for Mr. Barrow, of course.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Mr. Barrow had approached him in the kitchen as Andy was enjoying what was very likely to be his last cup of tea with the Downton staff.

“Mr. Barrow, hello. I didn’t see you there.”

He sat down next to him and lit up a cigarette. Andy normally didn’t like people who smoked, but Mr. Barrow looked so handsome with the smoke blowing out of his lips. He would have liked to have those lips wrapped around something other than the cigarette, but this was neither the time nor place to rekindle the sparks Andy had thought existed between them.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, I was actually just preparing myself to go back home…”

He hesitated. Surely he could tell Mr. Barrow about his hopes to join the staff at Downton Abbey; he wouldn’t get mad, would he? He had always been so understanding and supportive…

“It’s just… I was hoping that maybe, since you seemed to be in need of another footman, that maybe…”

Mr. Barrow softly patted his shoulder and smiled at him through the cloud of smoke.

“We could use the extra help. I’ll talk to Mr. Carson, see what can be done about it. You have worked hard, Andy, and we all see that.”

A sigh of relief escaped Andy’s lips, but his body quickly tensed up at the feeling of Mr. Barrow’s hand lingering on his shoulder, his fingers barely touching his neck above his collar.

“Remember, anything you need, just ask your Uncle Thomas.”

Andy had nodded and smiled back, trying to decide if the twinkle in Mr. Barrow’s eyes was due to something other than mere kindness.

A voice from outside the kitchen brings him back into the present, to the Hilshire’s, away from the Downton staff.

“Andy?” The sound comes from the hallway, and, for a second, he forgets all about Mr. Barrow.

"Henry...," he whispers as two arms close tightly around his shoulders. "What are you doing still up? It's late."

"I was waiting for you," Henry says against his neck as he places a trail of kisses over his collar. "How was your week with the Crawleys?"

“Exhausting, but fun. It was nice to be a footman for a week.”

“Maybe I could get you a promotion; I could put in a good word for you with Mr. Harvey. I think the second footman is going to leave us soon.”

Henry gently sucks and bites on his earlobe –oh how he has missed this- but when they finally kiss the image of Mr. Barrow coming inside his mouth pops into his head and he knows that if it ever comes down to a decision between the Crawleys and the Hilshires, he has already made his choice.

He just hopes Mr. Barrow can get him the job at the Abbey, and maybe then he can thank him properly for all his kindness.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“So you’re leaving then”

Henry is laying right next to Andy in his small bed, both covered by a thin sheet. He is so different from Mr. Barrow, smooth all over, but Andy still wants nothing more than to bury his face in the crook of his neck and avoid all the sad goodbyes.

“You know I don’t want to be a hall boy forever”, he replies and writes his name with his index finger over Henry’s stomach.

There’s no love between Henry and him, there never has been. But Andy is so used to his company and the warmth of his arms around him that the thought of leaving him behind makes his chest hurt and his lips tremble with something that feels a lot like sadness.

“You could get promoted here” Henry replies, and he leans down to kiss the line of his jaw. “You don’t have to leave”

But he does, and Henry knows it. It has been years, footmen have come and gone and he has remained a hall boy through all of them. And the Crawleys need a new footman, Thomas said so. He wouldn’t even have to wait for an opportunity that might never arrive.

But they can pretend, just for tonight. He doesn’t have to leave until a few more days, they have plenty of time to say goodbye. Surely they can stay in bed tonight, tangled in a sweet embrace, and just focus on the feel of skin against skin and Henry’s breath against Andy’s neck.

“Like I said, Andy, Daniel is probably leaving soon. He has been talking about job offers up north”

Daniel… Andy doesn’t like to talk about him. He was supposed to get promoted a few months ago, Henry had promised him that after John, the previous second footman, had left. But before he even got a chance to talk to Mr. Harvey, Daniel had made his entrance to the kitchen during the servant’s breakfast, with his curls all tangled and his face all smug.

“Morning”, he had said that morning, sitting right next to Henry as if that was the spot intended for him all along, “My name is Daniel, I’m the new footman”.

Andy had disliked him from that moment since. Henry had apologized many times -and Andy didn’t blame him, it was a well-known fact that Mr. Harvey didn’t think too highly of him- but he couldn’t help but sulk every time Daniel’s name came up in conversation. It didn’t help that Daniel was constantly stealing glances in Henry’s direction, constantly smiling at him, constantly brushing his arm by “accident” during meals. Not that he was jealous, but if the lad was into Henry he could at least be discreet about it.

“I don’t care about Daniel or whatever offers he might have” he mumbles, burying his face in Henry’s neck to hide his pissed off expression.

Henry starts gently rubbing his back and kisses the top of his head, whispering something Andy can’t quite hear.

“He  _is_  leaving though, which means you can stay and take his job”, Henry says in a loving voice as his hand travels down his back. “Did you get a recommendation letter from the Crawleys?”

He did, but for some reason he doesn’t want to tell Henry about that. He was so disappointed when Mr. Carson brought up the letter, he was hoping to get a permanent position with the Crawleys, especially now that he and Mr. Barrow seemed to be getting along so well.

“And it doesn’t sound like a solid offer, you just mentioned some guy putting a good word for you with the butler. There’s no guarantee that…”

“Mr. Barrow”, Andy corrects him with a stern voice, “His name is Mr. Barrow and he’s the under-butler, not just some guy who works at the house. And I’m sure his opinion counts way more than the one of a footman”

That was uncalled for, and Andy regrets saying it the minute the words leave his lips. Henry tenses under his arms, and his hand, that was slowly approaching his butt cheeks with not-so-sweet intentions, moves away from his back as the footman sits up on the bed.

“You might be right, who would listen to a footman like me?”

“Henry, I didn’t…”

“Even though it was this same unimportant, irrelevant footman who got you the job at the Crawleys, in case you forgot”

“I know, and I’m grateful for that…”

Henry rubs his face with both his hands and when he next speaks his voice is not angry or sarcastic, but broken and quiet, almost as if he were about to burst into tears.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Andy. This week without you was extremely hard, and the thought of not having you around every day…”

 “Henry…” Andy says and reaches out to touch his hand, to remove it from his face.

“I know you want more than this, and I think you deserve it, I truly do but…” He holds Andy’s hand and kisses every one of his fingers with a devotion the former hall boy hadn’t seen before. “You can have that here, Andy. You can have everything here.” He kisses his wrists, lightly grazing at his skin with his teeth. “And I can convince Mr. Harvey to let you room with me, and we can spend every night like this, holding each other, loving us ‘til dawn…”

Andy kisses him hard, pressing him against the mattress and rubbing his hardening cock against his hip. The thought of spending every night like this with Henry, touching him with no hurry, watching him fall asleep knowing he doesn’t have to go back to his room quietly before everybody wakes up, waking up every morning in his arms… He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want that. Henry is a kind and gentle lover, and Andy is definitely going to miss him.

But he has to go. He has suffered too many disappointments in this house, and if he rejects the offer from the Crawleys –because Andy is sure that there will be an offer, Mr. Barrow doesn’t look like a man who takes no for an answer-  and the Hilshires end up hiring a new footman instead of promoting him… Also, and Andy feels stupid for thinking this, Mr. Barrow is beautiful, and just the thought of having his cock inside his mouth again makes him feel hot all over. From the moment they kissed in the alley, Andy knew his fate was sealed.

“Stop talking, Henry”, Andy says and roughly bites his neck as he strokes Henry’s prick. “Just stop talking”.

He wants to lose himself in Henry’s body, to forget all about sad goodbyes and broken hearts and think only of his pleasure, of the heat of the footman’s skin against his own, to guide him inside and pretend they can be like this forever.

“Oh, God…” Henry whimpers as Andy places both of his legs on either side of his body and lowers himself on top of him, spreading his cheeks as Henry’s cock buries inside him.

They haven’t tried this position before, but Andy wants to see Henry’s face has he rides him, he wants to hold Henry’s hands above his head as he moves faster and faster, he wants to kiss him hard when Henry’s prick touches the sensitive spot inside him, and pinch his nipples when he feels his cock twitch and knows it won’t be long until they both meet their release.

“Touch me now” he whispers in Henry’s hear like he’s his superior and not the other way around. “Make me come”.

Henry moans as Andy sits up, still moving up and down over his shaft, and closes his fist around his lover’s penis. Andy leans slightly backwards, grabbing hold of Henry’s knees for support, and sinks as low as he can until he can feel Henry’s balls pressing against his cheeks.

“Henry… oh, Henry…” he moans and closes his eyes, feeling the waves of pleasure spreading all over his body.

His nails dig deep into the skin of Henry’s legs and his mouth opens wide as he tips over the edge and comes all over Henry’s chest, smearing his skin with semen. Henry follows right back, and Andy keeps moving on top of him until he’s spent and breathless above the bed.

“Don’t leave” Henry mumbles against the skin of his neck as he slowly drifts off to sleep. “Don’t ever leave me”

Andy kisses him softly, sucking gently on his bottom lip, but doesn’t have the heart to respond to him. He  _is_  leaving, he knows that, and it crushes his heart just as much as it does Henry’s.

“I must head back to my room”

Henry nods, and his lips find Andy’s one last time.

“Goodnight, love”

“Goodnight, Henry”, Andy replies and tries to muffle his sobs until he’s in his own bed, with his face buried in the pillow. 


	3. Chapter 3

He wishes the letter had arrived a few days later. He knew it was coming, Mr. Barrow had looked so secure of himself that Andy had no doubts that he could get him the job he had promised. But it was easy to pretend there might not be a job for him at Downton, that his future was here in London with Henry. Specially when Daniel had indeed handed his resignation earlier that morning, and even Mr. Harvey had looked in Andy’s direction when one of the housemaids had inquired about who would occupy the vacant position.

And either way, Andy hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon. It’s only been a few days, the Crawleys must just have gotten back to Downton. But there it is, a letter addressed to him from Mr. Thomas Barrow, under-butler at Downton Abbey, and there’s no mistaking what it says. He wouldn’t write to him so formal if it were anything but a confirmation that the position was indeed available and ready for him.

“Oh you got a letter, Andy”, says the scullery maid, Helen, while serving him another cup of tea. “What does it say? Is it from a sweetheart you met on your week away from us?”

“It’s not really any of our business, Helen” Henry says, anger filling his voice, as he drinks from his own cup. “If Andy found himself a… sweetheart, as you say, when he was working with the Crawleys, that is something that only concerns him”.

Andy turns to him with a sad expression on his face that he’s unable to conceal, but Henry is not looking at him.

“Oh, we’re a little cranky this morning, aren’t we? Who would have thought you’d be so sad to watch me go” says Daniel as he sits back in his usual place, right next to Henry, and grabs the newspaper from his lap with a jolly smile. “Anything interesting?” he asks, leaning a bit closer to him.

“I just think Mr. Harvey and Mrs. Perth won’t be too happy to see Helen gossiping with the staff instead of doing her duties”

Sorry, Andy mouths to Helen before she turns to clean the dishes. Henry has never liked her, but this morning he’s being particularly nasty to her. It might have something to do with the letter, because when Andy starts opening his frown deepens even more and not even Daniel can get a word out of him.

“I’ll go see if everything is ready”, he finally says as he gets up from the table. “Are you coming, Daniel?”

The footman nods and stands with a big smile in Andy’s direction that only widens when Henry lays a hand upon his shoulder and guides him towards the hall.

“What is wrong with Henry this morning? I didn’t know him and Daniel were close” asks one of the maids, but Andy just shrugs and moves back to his letter.

“Who knows? We’d known Daniel might be leaving for months, he hasn’t been exactly reserved on the matter. I think maybe he just had a rough night”

Andy lowers her head at Helen’s remark and smiles. It was rough all right, but in an entirely different way. The idea of staying and sharing the room with him pops into his head. Nights like that could be every night, without the pressure of having to go back to his room without waking anyone up during his walk. But as he folds the letter and puts it in his pocket he knows there’s no choice for him. Him and Henry have had a nice time together, but it’s not enough to make him stay.

“So, what does your sweetheart says, Andy?”

“It’s not my sweetheart, Helen. Can’t you see the name? It says Thomas Barrow”

He might be a potential lover, but he’s most definitely not Andy’s sweetheart.

“It’s about a job I was applying to”, he says as he reads carefully the first lines of the letter. He feels his hands lower when he reads Mr. Barrow’s response and gets confirmation of what he was expecting to find.

“And?”

“I got accepted” His chest fills with a mixture of happiness, excitement, and great sadness. “I’m going to be a footman”.

Helen and the maids all congratulate him. Even Mr. Harvey has kind words to say to him, and assures him that even though he already has a job he will write him a very satisfactory recommendation letter just in case he ever finds himself in need of one.

“Though I don’t think you will, Andy. You’ve been a good hall boy. I’d be glad to recognize your hard work through all these years. I had expected you might be a footman here, with Daniel leaving, but I’m sure we can manage”.

You could have recognized my hard work by giving me a promotion before Daniel showed up and none of this would have happened, Andy thinks, but he doesn’t say it. Mr. Harvey might be in a good mood for now but if he doesn’t start his daily duties soon there might not be a recommendation letter after all.

He tries to talk to Henry all day, but after a couple of hours it becomes obvious that the footman is avoiding him. It’s not until late that night, after most people have gone to sleep, when Andy can finally talk to him.

“Henry?”, he says softly against the closed door of the footman’s bedroom.

Nobody replies but Andy has quite the hearing, and he can clearly notice that the sound of rustling has suddenly stopped. So he knocks, gently, and counts to ten before knocking again and repeating his name against the wood.

He doesn’t have to knock again after that.

“What do you want?”

Andy closes the door behind him before walking to the bed and sitting down, leaving a wide space for Henry to sit next to him.

“I just want to talk. You seem upset”

“Me? Why would I be? Because you implied you would stay and wait for an offer and now you get a letter from that butler of yours…”

“Under-butler. Mr. Barrow is the under…”

“He could be the bloody King of England for all I care!”

Andy flinches back, but when Henry puts his face between his hands and slouches down as if he were to tired to sit straight anymore he can’t help but put his own hand above his knee and squeeze gently.

“I have to go.”

“But why? You have a position here, you heard Mr. Harvey”, Henry’s voice sounds about to break, but Andy can only squeeze harder and pray to find the words to say. “Remember what we talked about? We could room together and wake up in each other’s arms every morning”

“That’s not realistic and you know it.”

“And yet there you are exchanging love letters with that under-butler and nobody bats an eye right?”

It’s uncalled for, and Andy should be angry, but the mere idea of Mr. Barrow thinking that way about him and the memory of that night in the alley makes his cheeks turn bright red.

“You know that’s not true, you know it’s not”

When he turns to him, Andy places his hand on Henry’s cheek and leans to him. He is leaving, they both know that, but the past few days have made Andy good at pretending and Henry’s lips have always looked so tempting when he’s upset.

“Don’t”

Henry stands up and walks to the door, placing his hand on the handle.

“I think you should go”

“Henry…”

“You’re leaving anyway, right? You’re leaving this”

“I’m just…”

“You’re leaving me”

The tightness on his chest remains long after he is lying on his own bed, but it’s not enough to make him question his decision. And it’s not enough to make him feel guilty for thinking about Mr. Barrow’s hands on his hair when he closes his eyes.

Mr. Barrow’s hands holding him still as he thrusts into his mouth.

Mr. Barrow’s hands unbuttoning his shirt.

Mr. Barrow’s hands rubbing his nipples and moving even lower.

Mr. Barrow’s hands grabbing his length, moving up and down until Andy is almost there and all he needs is to kiss him hard, to properly feel him as he comes.

And Mr. Barrow’s hands holding him as he falls asleep, touching him as if they never have to let go.


End file.
